Stuffed up,

and spun out.

Via.

I thought I’d missed this year’s round of the plague, but apparently that only works if you don’t spend three days a week in a refrigerated warehouse surrounded by stoners who survive on Hot Pockets and coffee.

As it is, I do, and like any good socialist community, what’s theirs is mine, not the least of which are their cooties.

So I stand here before you at the tail end of two days of working, not breathing, and barely sleeping, armed with what might end up being the most uninspiring post since that earth shaker about tennis balls.

Oh, and if you don’t get the reference regarding hanging out with stoners, I suppose I could again note that back in July I took a temp job helping out with fulfillment at a cannabis extraction company in West Oakland. That temp job turned into a more permanent part time position, and having survived solely on freelance, ad dollars, and product sales for the last nine years, I decided that having a little bit more scratch coming in might not hurt when it comes to paying for little extras like, oh, I don’t know…. Health insurance maybe?

So just know that when you read Thursday’s missives here on the All Hail The Black Market(dot)com web project, they are written at the tail end of a nine hour work day for which I most likely initially arose between 4 and 5 in the morning.

Considering that coupled with that fact, I feel as through somewhere along the line, my sinuses were replaced with a densely packed wad of cotton, you can rest assured you’ll remain unimpressed.

At the very least, we’ll always have Tuesday’s effort, which if I do say, was pretty sweet.

Anyhü- with that humdinger of an excuse laid out first, I will get on with the show.

Most folks who spend time here know that I’ve long been a huge fan of Radical Rick;

I mean, just look at him. He’s the best. Hell, I even made him my own co-pilot in my dumb little nerd truck;


Anyway, between suffocating on my own phlegm, I caught wind that creator Damian was in the process of making something really nice, almost in time for a few days after Christmas, and how right I was;

Finally, after all of these decades, MX Mug finally gets a leg up on ol’ Rick, though I’m sure it was short lived.

Just the same, those of us who always strive for second best can appreciate the moment of glory depicted on them new threads.

If you might fancy one of these, or perhaps one of the other RR designs, just check them out here.

Though I won’t attempt at penning any kind of holiday gift guide today, because I’ve been slammed with sickness and work, I’ll continue on the commerce train.

Why, it was just a few days ago (a day after selling my final pair of XL, I’d like to note), that I received a whole brand new shipment of the ever-popular Black Sole socks;

I basically have to order another twelve dozen every time I wear through all of mine and hope that I can manage to sell a few as well.

I can almost promise that if you order a pair today, there is no possible way I’ll get them to you by Christmas, so if you want a pair as a gift, or to stuff into a stocking (which unto itself is a perversion of nature), you’re out of luck.

But I definitely can get some in (on) your hands for after-Christmas, which is a better time for presents anyway.

Moving on to industry/product news, TT from reached out yesterday with a heads up/hello/trivia/earworm thing;

Hi Stevil!
I challenge you to name the band our new opening riff in the video is by!

Cheers,
-Travis

I’ve got nothing. I’m close, but as the adage goes, that only counts with things that begin with H.

I’ll keep working on it, but in the meantime, they’ve just blown the top off of their new Dropper Trigger®™©;



That is a good looking meatball.

They go on to elaborate;

We’ve tried just about every cable-actuated dropper seatpost on the market, and while they all have their pros and cons, we weren’t satisfied with any of the triggers that actuated them. So, we designed our own.

As usual, our engineers were obsessed during the design process. We torture tested the hell out of various prototypes (including numerous crashes) in the toughest terrain in the Sierra Nevada mountains for over a year. Our final production version uses dual stacked sealed cartridge bearings in the pivot for zero slop and long (serviceable) life, a pinch bolt and cable head recess allowing you to run the cable in either direction (some droppers pinch the cable at the seatpost, while others pinch the cable at the trigger), a hinged clamp so you can install it without removing the grip, and a little barrel adjuster for fine tuning the cable tension.
Machined out of American 6061 Aluminum to 0.0005″ tolerance (holy smokes that’s precise!) here in sunny Chico, California.

I myself am quite fond of the dropper style seat post, though like Paul, sometimes I still get confused as to when I’m supposed to use it, or remembering where the trigger is and so forth. Perhaps in time it will become more clear.

Worse case is I’ll just go back to using my HiteRite.

Finally, I will note that it’s been one year since the last December 20th.

Among other things, my East Coast love SHUTUPBRANQUINN had just come to visit;

It was a blissful calm before a series of storms.

I hadn’t yet begun to experience nearly monthly calamities I dare not mention again for fear of inviting them back.

Suffice (it) to say, 2018 was a beast that literally very nearly did me in. Physical, emotional, internal, and external issues all conspiring together to test my will to live, and test it, it did.

Aside from this post, I didn’t ever really elaborate on it here, though I’ll say for certain that I never want to return to that place. It’s dark, very difficult to return from, and terrifyingly comfortable. I’ve been to this place a number of times over the course of my life, but haven’t been so close as I was this summer.

This year has been a lesson for me in volumes of ways that I might never be capable of fully wrapping my mind around. Facing the end of those you love, as well as yourself either by illness or by your own hand is no easy pill to swallow.

But recognizing it is a start, and considering the alternative, I’ll take that as a success.

Now look here- I began today’s effort assuming I’d stumble my way through to its conclusion, and I actually wound up having an epiphany.

So let us move forward together into the new year with renewed strength, self awareness, and empathy for those around us. We are the good guys, and in the daily battle with the fuckers, it’s vital for us to remember this fact.

And I’ll gladly return to the front of the fight just as soon as my head loosens its grip on itself.

Spread this like it's sick

Leave a Reply

5 Responses to “Stuffed up,”

  1. Tony December 20, 2018 at 8:02 am #

    I find it hard to believe you don’t recognize the musical stylings of Fu Manchu (Hot Doggin’), that infection must have messed up your ear holes.

    • Stevil December 20, 2018 at 6:11 pm #

      Ah. I never really liked them… And it wasn’t for lack of trying. I guess that would explain my ignorance.

  2. Travis December 20, 2018 at 8:45 am #

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oNH1BZlkCg

    Hot Doggin!

  3. Momsue December 20, 2018 at 9:05 am #

    And let’s always move ahead with hope. It keeps us going……….

  4. FunkyLaneO December 20, 2018 at 12:13 pm #

    The band is Fu Manchu